it. She felt her stomach twinge, not like she had to go to the bathroom again, but like she might throw up.
She flushed it down and turned away, blinking her eyes and breathing to fight the urge to puke. It wouldn't do any good, she hadn't eaten in a couple of days. All she had to look forward to would be dry heaving and a lot more agony.
Beth turned to the shower. Maybe salvation wasn't waiting for her but cleanliness would be the next best thing. The water was set to cold but when she reached in it felt the same as it always did, room temperature. She sighed and left it before stepping under the rain head and letting the water work its way through her hair and over her body.
Without the luxury of feeling the heat from the water seeping into her muscles, or in this case the cold at least chilling her, Beth hurried through the cleansing ritual. She stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. Drying herself took almost as long as the shower did, she was running out of steam.
Beth shuffled out of the bathroom and back into the master bedroom she'd shared with Penny. Her benefactor was resting on the bed, the sheets pulled askew and revealing her arm and one breast. Beth remembered Penny taking her clothes off to get into bed with her the night before— morning, really— but at the time she didn't care. She'd been exhausted and sick.
Did she care now? She was just as exhausted. The thought of sleeping with a woman, even a naked one, didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. There was something about it, a memory she couldn't quite place. She'd done it before, or something like it. Not with Penny, but with someone else. Was that what Penny meant when she told her that she'd experimented before?
Beth sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She needed to catch her breath and gather her strength. The towel pulled against her but she ignored it. She was too exhausted to fight it. She leaned forward, her elbows going to her thighs, and cupped her face in her hands.
"Elizabeth? Sweetie?"
Beth jerked her head up and looked around. It felt later. She turned and saw Penny sitting behind her with the sheets lying rumpled around her hip.. She could feel Penny's hand pressing against her towel on her lower back.
"Oh my god," Beth mumbled. "I must have fallen asleep."
"Sitting on the edge of the bed?" Penny asked.
"I guess."
"It's almost time then," Penny said. "How do you feel?"
"Like a door mat that's been stomped on a few thousand times," she admitted. "I had another one of my, um, episodes earlier. In the bathroom?"
Penny offered an apologetic smile. "It will be over soon."
"I believe it," Beth said. "I'm surprised I made it through a shower."
"Lie down again," Penny offered. "I'll stay with you tonight."
Beth started to nod and stopped herself. She couldn't. Not tonight. She had a date with John. "I can't," she mumbled. "Shit! What time is it?"
Penny frowned. "You can't escape what's coming. You know that, don't you?"
"What?" Beth pushed herself to her feet and had to reach down to steady herself when the room spun. "Yes, I know. I just— look, Penny, you've been great to me. You really have. I like you, there's just this one thing I need to do."
"Your friends think you're gone. Your family too," Penny said.
Beth nodded. "It's not them, it's, um, something else."
"Something else?"
"Someone else," Beth admitted. She sighed. "The cop that took me back to school. He asked me out tonight."
Penny frowned and shook her head. "Beth—"
"No, it's okay!" she protested. "I told him I had a very rare disease and that I was dying. Soon. He felt sorry for me, I think. He wanted to help me out. Treat me nice. You know? He was nice. I've never really met a guy like him."
"You can't change what's happening to you," Penny stated again. "You will die."
Beth nodded. "I know. I'll die and then I'll be like you. And with you, for as long as we have."
Penny lifted her head and set her dark blue eyes on Beth's.
She flushed it down and turned away, blinking her eyes and breathing to fight the urge to puke. It wouldn't do any good, she hadn't eaten in a couple of days. All she had to look forward to would be dry heaving and a lot more agony.
Beth turned to the shower. Maybe salvation wasn't waiting for her but cleanliness would be the next best thing. The water was set to cold but when she reached in it felt the same as it always did, room temperature. She sighed and left it before stepping under the rain head and letting the water work its way through her hair and over her body.
Without the luxury of feeling the heat from the water seeping into her muscles, or in this case the cold at least chilling her, Beth hurried through the cleansing ritual. She stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. Drying herself took almost as long as the shower did, she was running out of steam.
Beth shuffled out of the bathroom and back into the master bedroom she'd shared with Penny. Her benefactor was resting on the bed, the sheets pulled askew and revealing her arm and one breast. Beth remembered Penny taking her clothes off to get into bed with her the night before— morning, really— but at the time she didn't care. She'd been exhausted and sick.
Did she care now? She was just as exhausted. The thought of sleeping with a woman, even a naked one, didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. There was something about it, a memory she couldn't quite place. She'd done it before, or something like it. Not with Penny, but with someone else. Was that what Penny meant when she told her that she'd experimented before?
Beth sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She needed to catch her breath and gather her strength. The towel pulled against her but she ignored it. She was too exhausted to fight it. She leaned forward, her elbows going to her thighs, and cupped her face in her hands.
"Elizabeth? Sweetie?"
Beth jerked her head up and looked around. It felt later. She turned and saw Penny sitting behind her with the sheets lying rumpled around her hip.. She could feel Penny's hand pressing against her towel on her lower back.
"Oh my god," Beth mumbled. "I must have fallen asleep."
"Sitting on the edge of the bed?" Penny asked.
"I guess."
"It's almost time then," Penny said. "How do you feel?"
"Like a door mat that's been stomped on a few thousand times," she admitted. "I had another one of my, um, episodes earlier. In the bathroom?"
Penny offered an apologetic smile. "It will be over soon."
"I believe it," Beth said. "I'm surprised I made it through a shower."
"Lie down again," Penny offered. "I'll stay with you tonight."
Beth started to nod and stopped herself. She couldn't. Not tonight. She had a date with John. "I can't," she mumbled. "Shit! What time is it?"
Penny frowned. "You can't escape what's coming. You know that, don't you?"
"What?" Beth pushed herself to her feet and had to reach down to steady herself when the room spun. "Yes, I know. I just— look, Penny, you've been great to me. You really have. I like you, there's just this one thing I need to do."
"Your friends think you're gone. Your family too," Penny said.
Beth nodded. "It's not them, it's, um, something else."
"Something else?"
"Someone else," Beth admitted. She sighed. "The cop that took me back to school. He asked me out tonight."
Penny frowned and shook her head. "Beth—"
"No, it's okay!" she protested. "I told him I had a very rare disease and that I was dying. Soon. He felt sorry for me, I think. He wanted to help me out. Treat me nice. You know? He was nice. I've never really met a guy like him."
"You can't change what's happening to you," Penny stated again. "You will die."
Beth nodded. "I know. I'll die and then I'll be like you. And with you, for as long as we have."
Penny lifted her head and set her dark blue eyes on Beth's.
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